STUDIO Z BlogA PROJECT OF ZEITGEIST NEW MUSIC

Known for their 35+ year history as an acclaimed new music ensemble,Zeitgeistis always eager to explore new artistic frontiers and is dedicated to the creation and production of new and diverse music.This year, Zeitgeist has commissioned four new works from local jazz artists Chris Bates, Steve Kenny, Zacc Harris and Davu Seru to be premiered at the 2014 Twin Cities Jazz Festival. The ensemble is collaborating with each of the artists this week in rehearsals and will welcome them to the stage for the premiere performances at Studio Z on June 26 and 27 at 5 p.m.

Here are a few notes from the composers on what you’ll hear:

Corridors by Zacc Harris

Guitarist and composer Zacc Harris has become a vital part of the Twin Cities jazz community since moving here in 2005, co-leading the band Atlantis Quartet and working with a number of other groups and artists. Exploring the possibilities of jazz through new compositions is central to his artistic mission, and having the opportunity to write for a unique and exceptional ensemble like Zeitgeist has opened up new ideas. This piece, Corridors, focuses on a couple of these new ideas. The lack of bass prompted the idea of writing in a straight eighth feel rather than swing, and gives the bass role to the piano. Primarily a modal piece, there are two main themes. The first is in Dm in 7/4 time and is based on the intervals of a 2nd and a 6th, in both the melody and the harmony. The second theme is in 5/4 and shifts between four harmonic centers, mostly parallel in nature, and the melody uses more quartal intervallic structures. The abrupt shifts in time and tonality are meant to give the listener the feeling of turning down a new path, or corridor. For more info, visit www.zaccharris.com.

Ghost Suite by Steve Kenny

"I've always considered jazz to be modern American chamber music, and so the concept whereby Zeitgeist is going to add freshly composed works to its repertoire by some of my favorite local jazz artists is really a great idea for the 2014 Twin Cities Jazz Festival. Rehearsing up these compositions with that world class ensemble is a joy, and I can't wait to get a chance to hear and be a part of performing these works. The goal of my Ghost Suite is to forge a balance between the merit of Zeitgeist's 35+ years of new music performance practice with the more guttural emotions and extemporaneous events present in the modern jazz tradition. It also pays tribute to Bob Samarotto, Yuri Merzhevsky, and Eric Stokes with separate movements dedicated to each." --Steve Kenny

Relay Transmission by Chris Bates

Chris Bates is a very active jazz bassist here in the Twin Cities and he is excited to work with Zeitgeist as a composer. His new piece Relay Transmission explores the rhythmic evolution of a 12-tone melody from a slow, open introduction to the fast and frantic ending. The piece contains melodic material linked to improvised sections that rely on the ability of the performers to transform this written material from one pulse layer to the next. As with most improvisation, the results should vary each time the piece is played, creating a new version of the transmission at every performance. Find out more about Chris @DoubleBates.com

Spitting Image, a brand new composer collective in the Twin Cities, will make their debut this weekend with their The Hear and Now concerts at Studio Z in Lowertown St. Paul and Honey in Northeast Minneapolis.

Spitting Image was formed in 2013 by composers Katherine Bergman, Ted Moore and Daniel Nass with a mission of bringing together composers, performers, and listeners in order to strengthen the Minneapolis/St. Paul new music community. Their work includes commissioning new work from local composers, presenting new music in the Twin Cities, and organizing events for composers to share works-in-progress.

For their first concert series, entitled The Hear and Now, the collective has commissioned five new works from local composers Joshua Musikantow, Noah Keesecker, Daniel Nass, Ted Moore, and Katherine Bergman. Here are a few notes from the composers on what you’ll hear at the concerts this weekend:

Extinction by Joshua Musikantow for electronics using Axis 64“Extinction, tuned to 53-tone equal temperament, is a non-nostalgic meditation on loss: both everything that has been lost, and everything we risk losing. I say non-nostalgic not because it is without sentiment, but rather because nostalgia usually entails a yearning for the familiar; yet, that which has been truly lost is quite alien to us, as its very state of being lost implies an omission from, or at least underrepresentation within, the accepted canons and historical narratives.

I’d like to believe that the things that survive the test of time do so because of their virtue; yet, through the years, I have moved further towards the opposite viewpoint: namely, that survival is secured not through virtue but through some combination of cold pragmatism; pandering; political maneuvering; or outright brutality on the part of those with superior numbers, resources, or military might.

My allegiances are with the losing side.” --Joshua Musikantow

Nine Wee Drams by Daniel Nass for clarinet and cello“The term 'a wee dram' is most commonly used to described a small pour of whiskey. In this instance, I'm using it to refer to a small piece of music. Nine Wee Drams consists of nine miniatures for clarinet and cello, each named after a favorite Scotch whiskey of mine.” --Daniel Nass

leviathan by Ted Moore for bass clarinet and electronics"leviathan started as a work about the sounds one might hear in sea side caves. Specifically, it was about An Uaimh Bhinn, a cave on the coast of Scotland that is famous for the unique way in which sound resonates through it. As the piece developed, some kind of character beast appeared within the music and form I was working with, so I chose to title the piece leviathan, a large sea monster." --Ted Moore

Phase Change by Katherine Bergman for flute and cello“Phase Change is an artistic representation of the transition between thermodynamic systems from one phase or state of matter (solid, liquid, and gas) to another. The piece is in three movements performed without pause, each depicting a state of matter; beginning with vapor, transitioning to liquid, and ending with solid.” --Katherine Bergman

New works by local composers Joshua Musikantow, Noah Keesecker, Daniel Nass, Ted Moore, and Katherine Bergman. Music will be performed by Carrie Henneman Shaw, soprano; Sarah Porwoll-Lee, clarinet; Lars Krogstad, cello; and James DeVoll, flute.